Are we scrubbers or is landlord in wrong?

jaype

Thanks - blutack wasn't forbidden and the deposit is protected. How does it work - do you have to agree the deductions?

Benji

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

Is it unreasonable to expect the paintwork on a rental property to remain unblemished for 3 years? I'd suggest 3 years would be about right for a fair wear and tear lick of paint to be required.

It is unreasonable to expect the paintwork on a rental property to remain unblemished for 3 months, that is where 'wear and tear' comes into it - if a 3 year old wall needs fully repainting, the tenant would only be expected to bear a percentage of the cost. Having said that, older painted walls can not often be 'touched up' because the new paint will not match the cured old.

Benji

jaype wrote: »

Thanks - blutack wasn't forbidden and the deposit is protected. How does it work - do you have to agree the deductions?

Once you have the figures, go to the website and lodge a dispute. You should get the undisputed amount back pretty quickly. The balance will be held by the scheme. If BOTH parties agree, you can use their free arbitration service. Otherwise, it is the courts.

Tiddlywinks

OP - accept SOME responsibility here... there has been damage (grass, bath, toilet, marks on walls) and it is not good enough for you to just say you don't know how it happened. Nor is it good enough for you to get a contractor in and not even check the work.

Chips to a bath, ruined grass, scratched toilet with a broken seat are NOT wear and tear. Nor is not bothering to clean an oven or weed a garden.

jaype

Tiddlywinks - why have you got such a bee in your bonnet? I've said we have agreed to pay for the cleaners they choose (rather than ask ours to do it again, as they are clearly useless and I will be taking that up with them.) As I said twice, we didn't forget to clean the oven - the cleaners didn't do it as contracted. Please read properly before having a go!!

sharpee

Was there a dual sign inventory for the property?

This will be used as evidence of the condition at the start of the tenancy with the allowance of fair wearand tear over the 3 years

N79

To echo the other posters, most of the damage you list would not be covered by fair wear and tear so provided the damage did not exist at the start of the property then reasonable costs are owed to the LL (albeit some of them are rather petty). However, the LL is not entitled to betterment - for example paying the full cost of the garage door is probably not reasonable as I doubt it was a new garage door at the start of the tenancy and clearly you have not totally ruined it.

The "extra" rent is not reasonable.

As to whether you are were using the property for prostitution, I think you are probably the best person to know the answer. I should warn you that if you were, then you were probably in breach of the "not using the property to run a business" clause of your contract!:D;)

jaype

Prostitution?????

I think you're mixing your threads!!! (not meds). :rotfl:

Darlyd

Have no idea of the implications. BUT ewe @ cob webs, filthy oven and cruddy toilet seat (why did you not change it yourself?)...... How could you let this get so bad? Why did you not clean yourself? Blue tac does leave sticky marks, I know as I have kids. Why could you not of painted before leaving? surely the contract states, home to be put right before leaving?

Can you not arrange for the cleaners you hired to go back in and do their job proply, free of charge of course, so LL does not have to charge you for that, OR let the cleaning company know that their work was not up to the standard you paid for, therefore your sending them the bill from LL. I think the garden is petty though....

maryjane01

I think some people here have been a little harsh to you, but it sounds like you did not leave everything in order and some deductions are due. If you did not report the damaged seat and then this caused damage to the bowl, that is your fault, dirty oven, your fault, garden in poor condition- debateable. Metalic bits going crusty on a cheap toilet seat, I would say that is wear and tear, we have a cheap toilet seat and an expensive toilet seat in our house, both cleaned the same way, the cheap one has got really crusty and impossible to make appear clean now. After 3 years some marks on the wall I would say are wear and tear, a decent landlord would paint for a new tenant after 3 years, but I guess it depends how many marks are on the walls and how much it is wear and tear and how much it is down to how much care was taken while living in the house, a small contribution may be fair, but not repainting the whole house.